Construction equipment maintenance technician

Apprenticeship summary

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the construction and allied sectors, these may include manufacturers, plant hire companies, construction contractors, industry employers, or an independent maintenance or inspection organisation in employers such as within the construction, demolition, rail-plant, extractives or mineral products sectors.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to ensure that construction and allied-based plant and equipment, through technical and diagnostic activities, has been made fully functional, safe and efficient where problems occur. The technician will also complete important activities around installing, decommissioning, upgrading, modifying or adapting. They will deal with a wide range of construction-based equipment including static and mobile plant which has a high level of complexity for operational efficiencies. This complexity may include dealing with stringent engine emission requirements, where the understanding of complex programmable electronic systems together with a mechanical and a chemical conversion process is required. With the advent of mechatronic-based operations, hybrid and clean-technology equipment, the technician must be able to adapt to new and changing technologies for zero-carbon equipment. The occupation is a key role in keeping construction and allied based equipment fully functional and efficient, which can affect the delivery of national infrastructure and housing build programmes.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with customer or client representatives, site managers or site supervisors, site safety representatives, plant operatives, other site workers, sales staff, hire controllers, direct line manager or supervisor, technical advisors, manufacturing staff, co-worker and administrators.

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of construction and allied-based static and mobile plant and equipment through activities such as examinations, inspections, diagnostics, analytical, reporting and prevention activities. This applies where the machine or equipment operation is either not fully functional or requires upgrades and adaptations. The construction equipment maintenance technician must have a strong understanding of the specific as well as generic technical aspects of each machine type, have strong problem-solving skills and able to source, interpret, diagnose and apply technical information from a wide range of electronic sources. They will also be at the forefront of dealing with new and emerging technologies such as battery-operated or high voltage mobile equipment and hydrogen-driven mobile equipment which have high levels of risks during maintenance activities if procedural requirements are not followed. They will work independently, and in many cases remotely, but will also play an active part in both planning the work of others and mentor or guide other co-workers. They must work to and specify and apply a high level of health, safety and welfare awareness as they work in challenging environments within high-risk sectors in all hours. Their role is safety critical in that both co-workers and members of the public could be placed at risk. At this level, their behavioural skills are highly important as they will be the forefront in terms of meeting and organising the work with customers, both internal and external and ultimately responsible for ensuring that any work undertaken by them or colleagues has been completed to the highest standard and within given timescales as failure to complete activities within their scope can mean that their customer or employer could be burdened with very high-penalty costs for project overruns for example overnight roadworks due to non-functioning equipment.

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